Putting a human face on the immigration issue

A former student of mine is faced with an intolerable situation, one which is probably mirrored in the lives of many people in this country. This student, call him Steven, was born in another country, the child of a mother from that country and an American serviceman. Though the two were not married at the time of Steven's birth, Steven at age six and his mother traveled to the United States where his father and mother were married and have remained so for many years.

Steven was a fine student, smart, attractive, and possessed of a wry sense of humor. His grades were good; he was attentive in class. Before graduation, he sought employment with a local business where he started as a part-time worker and has earned 14 years of seniority in this endeavor. In the meantime, he has attended college, working nights and differing shifts to accommodate his schedules. Just this past spring, after many years, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree. Just a few months before graduation, as he contemplated his future and possibly moving to a larger city where employment opportunities might be more prevalent, Donald Trump was elected president of the United States with an over-riding passion: stopping illegal aliens or anybody from certain countries from entering the United States as well as ferreting out anyone who is not a citizen and deporting said people.

This is where the shadow came into Steven's life: despite a lifetime of good citizenship, earnest effort, and his boss's recommendations, Steven came under the suspicion of the government he had thought of as his own since he was six years of age. Neither Steven nor his mother had earned their citizenships and his green card expired. While he'd been able to extend it many times in the past, now he was being eyed with suspicion. He sought the guidance of a professor at the University of Montana, his boss, our own Senator Tester. He contacted Homeland Security, which counseled him to obtain a passport. The passport service demanded original documents and even a new birth certificate, which had to be obtained from the country of his birth. If he had been born in the military hospital on the base where his father was stationed, he'd have been considered a citizen, but he wasn't.

Steven has traveled to Helena to seek help there from the citizen's law office. He's spent hundreds of dollars on forms and documents, all to no avail. In May his passport was turned down because they don't consider him a citizen. Now, the Supreme Court has upheld Trump's travel ban at least until October.

Steven can not to be characterized by Trump's painting of all "illegals" with the same brush stroke. He's a kind, thoughtful, intelligent, hardworking person who deserves to live in the country of his father's birth. He's earned the right to become a citizen and yet the noose tightens around his neck as each avenue of hope has disappeared. I often wonder how my own immigrating grandparents would have fared in this environment of fear and hatred.

Patricia Rosenleaf of Great Falls is a retired public school teacher who writes a monthly political column for the Tribune.